Tug-O-War

The difference sugar makes is quite surprising.  On the days I avoid it or have minimal amounts I find myself to be more attentive, hydrated sufficiently, increased energy, and "cleaner".  However, on days when I overdose beyond my daily limit of 45 grams, I am the opposite and it can also get a little painful in the head and gut at times.

So, are the detriments to sugar the sugar itself or the Candida?  (Yes, one out of three culprits for this whole health mess is Candida, more commonly known as a yeast infection, that has been hanging around for several years.  I haven’t done a lot of research on it yet, but apparently Candida is often misdiagnosed by doctors and leads to a whole mirage of health issues, ranging from simple headaches to crippling illnesses.)  Okay, so sugar or Candida?  Honestly, I’m sure it’s both, but I still find it disconcerting that the USDA puts sugar in practically everything (HFCF anyone?) and finds no harm it.  Really?  I don’t think so!

Cooking without sugar has not quite yielded perfect results, but I’m getting closer.  I’m settling on using 100% maple syrup.  Maple syrup actually contains a lot less sugar and has antioxidants in it; so, it is not all bad.  Most important thing in using maple syrup over sugar is that, since it is liquid and a whole lot sweeter, the amount has to be cut in half and the other liquids in the recipe must be decreased a bit, too.  I had some very doughy cinnamon bread last month – still good, but could have been way better.  Actually, I made the same bread yesterday with the correct liquid measurements, added a little extra baking soda/powder to help make it fluffy, and added 5-10 minutes baking time.  Not quite there -- it was a little too dense -- but it is improving greatly! 

I am looking forward to the day – that I hope will come! – when I don’t have to count grams of sugar and can occasionally eat “non-modified” junk food once in a while – desserts!  No sugar – no matter how much I rant on it – is too good to give up completely.  Nevertheless, I have to keep telling myself that the less I have now, the greater my chances in the future will be (for all forbidden foods, actually)...and the better I will feel overall.  It's also a reminder that not all great things in this world are made in the kitchen.

Great Recipes

These are two ice cream pies.  Yeah, the sugar content is tricky with these, but so good!

http://smilinggreenmom.com/2009/11/make-stuff-monday-peppermint-kick-butt-pie/

http://delectablyfree.com/2010/11/pumpkin-ice-cream-pie/

I find it surprising that there are no cookbooks on various oatmeal preparations -- as in breakfast food, not cookies.  One I like is to add half a banana with gluten free granola (or nuts on the day I can have my one serving of it).  Another one is to add cinnamon and whole cranberries while the oatmeal is cooking. :-d

Peppers, Onions, Garlic. 'Nough said.

Meal of the month is Chicken Garlic Pizza.  (I really want to make some again as I type this.)  Preheat oven to 350˚F and please wipe off your kitchen work space before beginning.  And, use that veggie cleaner -- FYI, if you're worried about the $, you only use a few drops at a time so it lasts for a very long time.

Yeast-Free GF dough:
-1.5 cups of gluten free all purpose flour OR 1/3 coconut flour and 1.25 cups of gluten free all purpose flour for a higher fiber content
-1 tbs of baking powder
-2 tsp of xanthum gum (or guar gum)
-(add about 1 tbs of Italian Seasoning for a more flavorful crust)
-little less than 1/2 tsp salt (too much salt is not a friendly food)
-1/2 cups water
-2 tbs oil grape seed oil (or desired food oil), plus more for brushing

Mix all dry ingredients first with wire whisk.  Next, add the water and oil.  Place a very thin coat of oil on pan.  Flatten out dough to desired size and thickness.  It averages out to a medium size pizza.  Now brush the oil around the edge of the crust as well as underneath it.  Set aside.

Now for the heart of the pizza!
Part 1. Place in skillet:
-2 tbs butter (I usually let the butter melt before adding the other goods)
-2 cloves (or more!) garlic
-2-3 tbs green onion
-1/2 large red onion
-1 red and/or green pepper
-splash of grape seed oil
-generous helping of basil and cilantro

Make sure all of your ingredients are cut up fairly small.  Saute all ingredients together until onions are somewhat translucent.  When done, quickly scrape all contents of pan, with heat proof spatula, into a bowl.  Cover and place in fridge while the rest of the pizza is prepped.

Part 2. Cut 2-3 chicken breasts into small pieces (think bite size here).  Fill pan with about an inch of water.  When the water boils, add chicken pieces.  Let them boil until the chicken turns white (do not overcook!).

Okay, return to your pizza dough and grab your choice of cheese (I used goat Gouda).  Grate a small layer of cheese over the dough.  Next, add the sauce (that stuff in the fridge) and another layer of cheese.  Place chicken on top.  Now, grate as much cheese as you want.

Cook pizza in oven for 20 minutes, or until edge of pizza begins to brown.

Have a salad while it cools and viola!  Great food.


This picture isn't the greatest, but you the point right? :o)


QUICK FOOD:
And by quick I mean 15-30 minutes, because flash burning unidentifeid objects (known as TV Dinners) in a little magic box is a disgusting option.  Oh, not an option. Okay then.

Saute up some chicken pieces.  While the pan sizzles on medium (don't forget to stir it!), quickly cut up desired amount of green and red peppers and an onion into large, yet bite-able, pieces.  Don't forget to mince some garlic too!  After chicken is eatabe-lish (no more pink), throw in the veggies and some spices -- I'm finding that oregano or basil works well.  Cover pan whenever you are not stirring.  If your pan lacks a lid, a piece of aluminum foil works well.  About 10 minutes later serve with rice or pasta.  OR, place in some tortillas and add some hot sauce or more spices.  Instant fajita!

Sweet Agony

Food is a blessing and a curse.  It can taste amazing and brighten a day at the first vapor of smell.  It can also add hidden health hazards and empty your wallet so fast you forget what money looks like.  Yep, blessing and a curse -- particularly sugar. 

For the past month, having to eliminate all forms of sugar has proven to be the hardest diet change.  The irony is the fact that sugar is horrible for you.  I took the liberty to read a book about the detriments of sugar -- Suicide by Sugar by Nancy Appleton (hey, what better time to read it).  Eye opener!   I don't know if what she's claiming is 100% accurate or if she's twisting facts around, but her ultimate point is one that cannot be escaped: if we know that "too much" sugar makes us feel sick and rots our teeth, how much more damage is being done to the unseen world of the body within? 

There are medical websites which claim similar arguments to Appleton's.  A few of them are:
-Sugar causes hyperactivity, anxiety, inability to concentrate, and irritably
-Sugar throws the body's chemistry off balance
-Sugar causes (or influences) a wide array of illnesses, cancers, and various diseases
-Sugar suppresses the immune system
-People who abstain from sugar are very healthy

So, even while reading this book and seeing its point, I still want it!  (I guess it is that addictive).  I've just recently been able to play with natural sweeteners (agave, maple syrup, honey, etc.) a little.  And I mean a little.  Some days cookies and brownies and chocolate seem far, far away...  I haven't decided whether I want to stay away from sugar as much as possible, have it moderately, or focus on using natural sweeteners (which have mixed receptions of being good and bad for you)...  I'll keep you updated on this change, dear blogosphere.  It is a decision that must be well thought out.  And sugar is so good...and everywhere...and it's good...and fun to make...and...yeah.

I am still finding it hard to find snacks that aren't hummus based, but here are some basic sugar-free meals:
-Rice spaghetti (meat with citric acid free spaghetti sauce)
-Chicken dishes (such as marinating it in ginger and lemon, or sprinkling oregano while sautéing)
-Salmon dishes
-Homemade soups (watch out for the broths, some have added sugar, even though it is a very little amount)
-Brown rice wraps with meat and some thinly sliced veggies
-A lot of recipes in Gluten-Free Italian cookbook are sugar free (or very low in sugar)

After the sugar cravings lessened (somewhat) and realigned my thinking process of cooking (once again), my meals still have great flavor :)

The Wandering Question Mark

So, late last week after I received test results back -- mainly indicating in-balanced gut flora -- I started reacting negatively to sugar, natural sugars, and fruit. Long story short, my ND and I think we have nailed down another culprit that is preventing my body from healing. I won't say what it is here in the vast hole of cyber-space, but is very common and is quite treatable. However, living with said condition for 10-15 years and doctors telling me it was normal or was nothing to worry about, once again, drastically lowers my faith of the medical genius world. So, now I'm on severe fruit and natural sweetener restriction, as well as refined white foods and sugar, for a minimum of two weeks -- on top of everything else.

Cooking has definitely been a learning curve once again. I had been gradually decreasing sugar and using natural sweeteners like agave and honey (and couldn't really taste a difference!). Sugar is really the culprit for numerous behavioral problems and diseases. The human body was never designed to digest it in large amounts -- or some would say at all. Anyways, virtually taking out all sweeteners came as a bit of a shock. And, I'm still working this one out. Even though I can do conversions in my sleep, sugar is completely different; actually, the absence of all sweeteners even more so! Meals aren't too hard, though, as my diet is mainly brown rice, vegetables, and meat at the moment. It's the snack part that is difficult. Vegetables alone do not sustain blood sugar. Hummus helps. So does bread, but that has to be kept to a minimum... Yep, still wandering around in the dark here. Too bad that probably 99% of products -- organic or not -- contain sweeteners and sugar. Yikes!

In all this wandering and staring at the question mark on my keyboard, I felt God pointing me to the good sides. Yes, good sides. So, I was inspired to do this and practice the coping mechanisms:
•Being grateful for what you have and making good use of it
•Learning a healthier diet that tastes good is beneficial for life
•Minimal ingredients often helps to illustrate that less is more
•Use humor, whether it be a YouTube clip or a funny book, you need to laugh -- esp. when whipping up a favorite food gets complicated or proves to be impractical
•Don't focus on what you can't have, make the best with what you have
•Rest as needed, but don't sit around to be sad or let the dishes pile up too high (cause that's just extra stress)
•There is strength in God's word
•No matter how much it may feel like it, it is not the end of the world
•Eat your crumbs (don't waste food) and enjoy the small things

Pop Tarts!

Here is a food I never thought I’d have again. If you are allergic to any major food group…these lovely pastries stuffed with nasty preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients are out.

Joanne Chang’s Flour cookbook has finally hit shelves. I’ve heard fabulous things about this bakery and café located in Boston; and now, I can enjoy it too! This past week, I converted the pop tart recipe. For the flour I used GF All-Purpose and two heaping teaspoons of xanthum gum (this is a very important binding agent that acts like gluten to hold everything together) and for the milk I used rice milk with the same proportions.


They were fabulous.

So, is the hassle of converting recipes worth it? Yes! And now, really, it’s just second nature adapting recipes to my diet. I don’t even think about what GF flour to use when converting wheat or altering dairy measurements. At first, it was like relearning how to cook, but now I think that I would find it confusing to cook with regular flour again. You do what you have to do.

On this diet, you have to be creative. Unless you want to be snacking on rice cakes, it has to be fun and filled with fantastic food. There’s too many down sides and frustrations with this diet to be eating bland food all day. Tastelessness is not an option (even though it often comes with a higher price tag around here).

Autumny Tastes

It's been a while since I have written. I had to go through another test and this time it involved coming off of all of my supplements for a grand total of six days. Yeah...not fun! I mean, I'm glad to be reminded of how they work and all, but it was a very long, ill-feeling week and my body is still getting its momentum back one more week after the test completion. I keep reminding myself that this recent test will reveal a lot more as to what is happening in my body and why it is over-reacting to so many common things. And, all in all, will help cure me of many allergies. :)

One of my latest culinary delights, during the test week, was a soup that I altered heavily from A Living Without Magazine recipe. I'll call it.... Sweet Turkey Soup.



Cook in oven on 400˚F for 45 minutes:
1 large onion, chopped
some carrots, chopped
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Boil, in large pot, 4 cups turkey broth
Add in [makes it bubble really fast for a minute!]:
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
[For spices, I like to mix them all together in a bowl with a small wire whisk to assure that the flavor will be evenly distributed before adding them to liquids.]

Add to the boiling broth:
1 pound turkey meat (cooked)
Vegetables from oven

Simmer everything together, with the lid on the pan, for at least 15 minutes and viola! Amazing autumny soup!

Great thing about soup is that it reheats very quickly over the stove. Curious thing about this particular soup is that it really seemed to relax my insides and did not inflict any annoyances. Knowing what foods cause trouble is just as important as finding the foods that provide comfort to the inner workings of the body.


Homemade gingerbread complements this recipe quite well. (This was allergy-converted from The Joy of Cooking and instead of sugar I substituted agave nectar, which is a natural sweetener. Lately I've been trying to lower my processed sugar intake. I'm sure I will blog about that in the future.)

Kicking the Cold Out

Part of this diet is trying new things and -- what may seem like bizarre -- new remedies. Since the cold is spreading to every other person right now, I thought I would reflect on the cold I had last week. I got rid of it in five days. I kid you not.

After catching the infectious green snot with my neti pot, I began the battle immediately. I find that downing steaming chicken broth and peppermint tea constantly helps a lot. Also, something called Bieler Broth (this is where the quasi remedy comes in). It's steamed zucchini, celery, garlic, green beans, parsley, and hot water all blended together. Definitely not a common drink in my kitchen, but it is not as bad as it sounds. Bieler Broth is often used during detoxing and is helpful during acute illnesses. It is high in magnesium and apparently works to build your alkaline reserves (which has to do with a chemical balance in your blood) and improves liver function.  It also works to restore potassium and other important nutrients and minerals to the endocrine glands of the body. During the process the cold germs still tried to battle onward, but they soon lost. And, through it, I felt about the same as if I had taken Tylenol cold (which only works to cover up the symptoms, not fight them).

Now, the cold is in the trash with the mountain of tissues. I've used this regime a few times with the same results. :)

Some remedies/supplements haven't worked for me (occasionally making things worse since I am so sensitive to everything right now). But, the ones that do... I am grateful! Because living without them is -- literally -- quite painful and very uncomfortable. I am glad to take the chance when necessary (though, yeah, sometimes nervously). Take risks -- many are worth it.

Other cold-defeaters I have come to learn: humidifier to loosen mucus, avoid sugar (bacteria tends to feed off of it) and dairy (which thickens mucus), avoid large meals because you want your body to focus on fighting the infection off and not digesting food, and, of course, good rest.

Greetings World!

It’s been one year and four months since I had to completely take out dairy, wheat, raisins, yeast, and aspergillus (mold) out of my diet. It’s been five months since I’ve had to take out peanuts, tree-nuts, and corn out of my diet.

I’ve given up on most of the medical care world. All my life I’ve wondered if fuzzy thinking, constant cramps and headaches, dry mouth, skin rashes, and much, much more are normal. Doctors’ answers have almost always been “that’s not supposed to happen,” “you’re just making that up”, or “I don’t know, don’t worry about it.” Obviously all of those are not normal! When I saw a Naturopath – who treat the cause of a problem through natural methods rather than covering up symptoms through chemical based medicines -- she immediately saw food allergies/sensitivities as the culprit. Boy, was she right! After eliminating the trouble making foods, 90% of my asthma went away and I don’t have the symptoms above (plus so many more I discovered). Right now we are working to repair my GI tract (due to Leaky Gut syndrome) and someday I will be able to have most – if not all – of the forbidden foods again. How’s it going? There have been a lot of ups and downs, especially since my body is so sensitive to everything. Over the past month I have FINALLY been able to eat small portions of treenuts and corn each week. This is a massive improvement!

So, why is all this happening? In my opinion, man was not created to digest chemicals and pesticides. The digestive system is fragile and cannot take such beatings. When I eat processed foods now, I can feel my insides come apart and I just feel gross. I rarely use chemical based drugs and am on natural supplements and herbs. They make all the difference in the world! Did you know that curry is a natural inflammatory decreaser? And that ginger calms the stomach, as does peppermint? I can feel God saying, “What’s up with all the medical junk and your man-made chemicals? I gave you the remedies through My earth! They’re right in front of you.” Naturopath medicine is amazing!

So many people have asked me to write a blog about my diet and lifestyle that revolves around it. To most people, cutting out the major foods of the American diet and not using a microwave (I find these make me sick), is like hitting a brick wall. “What CAN you eat?!” is a frequent question I hear. Exploring the world of natural medicine rather than reaching for a bottle of Motrin is another mystifying concept. So, here’s my blog…